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The message from Boston was crystal clear – they expected to see more bang for their buck this season.

Christian Benteke , Liverpool FC's most lavish purchase during a hectic summer, duly delivered in front of watching owners John W Henry and Tom Werner as he provided the first return on that hefty investment.

The £32.5million striker marked his home debut in style with the priceless strike in front of the Kop which maintained the Reds' perfect start to the campaign at the expense of Premier League new boys Bournemouth.

Controversy surrounded Benteke's classy finish from close range with Philippe Coutinho clearly standing in an offside position but to the Belgian's delight the goal stood. Only the woodwork denied Liverpool's match-winner a second late on.

It was far from convincing from Brendan Rodgers' side but just as they did at Stoke six days earlier they earned a scrappy victory.

Henry and Werner will return to the States in the knowledge that the rebuilding job is a work in progress both on and off the field.

Before kick-off the Fenway Sports Group duo had checked out progress on the new Main Stand which towers over Anfield with the 650 tonne roof truss now in place.

John W. Henry in the stands during the Barclays Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool

That is on schedule to open in time for the start of the 2016/17 season and it's Rodgers' job to ensure the expanded arena plays hosts to Champions League football once again.

To achieve that target the the bar will need to be raised considerably with tougher tests to follow over the coming weeks but, crucially, the Reds have a platform to build on.

It's no surprise with so many new faces on board that fluency has so far eluded Rodgers' men.

Grinding out results

But unlike last season, when during their sorry demise they were an embarrassing soft touch, there is now a much greater backbone to the side.

The £80million spending spree Rodgers embarked upon hasn't only added quality but also a welcome injection of steel.

Liverpool have recaptured the art of grinding out results with successive clean sheets. It was October last season before they managed back to back wins.

Rodgers named an unchanged side following the 1-0 victory at Stoke with Emre Can and Roberto Firmino once again having to settle for places on the bench.

However, there was a tactical tweak with Jordon Ibe switched to the left and Coutinho on the right with Adam Lallana playing centrally behind Benteke.

The atmosphere pre-match was buoyant - the rousing rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone in stark contrast to the doom and gloom of May.

That positivity should have energised Liverpool but for the opening 20 minutes they were second best.

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It was Bournemouth who showed the greater composure as the Reds repeatedly tossed possession away cheaply.

Dejan Lovren was rightly lauded for his solid display at Britannia Stadium as he vindicated Rodgers' decision to select him ahead of Mamadou Sakho.

The Croatian defender got a slice of luck that afternoon when his elbow on Mame Diouf only received a yellow card and he was the recipient of more good fortune against the Cherries.

Tommy Elphick got above him to power a header past Simon Mignolet early on but Lovren's blushes were spared by Craig Pawson's whistle as the referee generously ruled that the centre-back had been fouled.

Nathaniel Clyne caught the eye at right-back on his home debut – with one crunching challenge on Max Gradel endearing him to the home supporters.

Clyne rampaged forward at every opportunity but the Reds were struggling to click as an attacking force.

Benteke won his aerial duels but too often no-one was running beyond him to get on the end of his flick-ons.

The Belgian frontman had been starved of service but when the first quality delivery into the box arrived in the 26th minute he made no mistake.

Christian Benteke celebrates scoring the first goal for Liverpool

Henderson played a corner short to Clyne and when the captain received it back he whipped in the kind of cross that his predecessor would have been proud of.

Benteke's movement was excellent and he arrived at the back post to expertly divert it past Artur Boruc.

Goal gave Reds belief

It was the kind of poacher's effort which showcased that the Belgium international is much more than a targetman.

Bournemouth were fuming because Coutinho was standing in an offside position but with the Brazilian having failed to make contact their protests were in vain.

The breakthrough transformed the contest. Suddenly, belief spread through the ranks.

There was an intelligence and freshness about Liverpool's set-pieces. Twice, Milner ignored the sea of bodies in the penalty box awaiting his free-kick and played it short to Henderson instead.

From the first one, Henderson's strike clipped the bar and then he was sent sprawling in the area by Gradel. The Kop's howls for a penalty were ignored by Pawson but the visitors remained under the cosh.

Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho

Coutinho's influence on the contest grew and on the brink of half-time he should have doubled the Reds' tally but fired horribly wide and punched the turf in frustration.

There was a blow early in the second half when Henderson was forced off with a foot injury. Can replaced him and in Henderson's absence momentum was lost.

Errors crept back in with Joe Gomez enduring some shaky moments. The rookie left-back did recover to make a fine block on Matt Ritchie, who was also denied by the outside of the post.

The gutsy Cherries refused to go quietly. Eunan O'Kane also went close and the anxiety levels on the Kop were cranked up further when Mignolet flapped at a corner.

With 20 minutes to go Rodgers handed a home debut to Firmino with Ibe making way.

As Liverpool's backline dropped perilously deep the nerves on the Kop were jangling.

Liverpool's Roberto Firmino during the Barclays Premier League match at Anfield

The Reds survived and finished with a flourish with substitute Alberto Moreno providing a lively cameo.

Benteke turned Clyne's cross against the bar late on but his earlier strike proved sufficient.

Anfield's new No 9 is off the mark and Liverpool have rediscovered the art of winning.